Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-07-08
Gladstone ON the Grimes Bin.

Second-ciGss natter
Gladstone on the Crimes Bill.
Inthe British House of Commons lastnight,
on motion made for the third reading of
the crimes BILL Mr. Gladstone, amid pro-
| longed cheers, made counter motion that
the bill be- read third time that day three
months. Mr. Gladstone said the bill was
the conservative alternative to home rule,
and, therefore, bore different aspect from
any ordinary coercion bill. The old coer
cion measures had been aimed at crime only,
but this new one, passing beyond crime,
aimed at societies. Further, the bill had
been brought in without any foundation,
such as underlay al! former coercion bills,
! based on the existence Of exceptional crime
Mr.. Balfour had dsregarded all precedents
requiring that the introduction Of coercion
measures be prelaced by statement Of ex
! ceptionai crime. Mr. Gladstone maintained
| that the increase Of crime III 1856 over 1885,
in view o: tho agricultural distress in Ire
land, was exceedingly small Comparing
the officials of the tory government in pow
er in Ireland in 1885 with those in power
| tho first five months in 1887 there was
marked decrease in the amount of
agraran crime Yet in 1885 they had
refrained from introducing a coercire
measure from motives OF policy.
comparison of past and present statistics
afforded no shadow of justification for the
present measure. Another contrast was that
| past Parliaments had been nearly unani'
nous in asserting 20 coercion, while this bill
was opposed by large majority in the
| of Of
| the country-a majority that was not likely
to diminish. Cheers If Parliament re.
taiued any regard for the traditions of lib.
erty or of party usGges the measure would
| be abandoned What could they urge to
warrant such invasion Of the peoples liDer-
| ties While reseDting the imputation that
the liberals had done the same thing he
would admit that past measures had been
failures. Among the differences between
the past and the present was the e1traordi-
nary proposal making the viceroy master of
the whole law and right of association. In
the present century such q proposal was an
outrage upon every principle public duty.
| Moreover, new oilenses were created under
| the measure. The attorney general for Ire
! land had admitted, and il vas too late 10
deny, that The bill aimed at the suppression
Of exclusive dealing. That was far more
pardolable in the weak ana poor than the
| rich and powerful, hut it was the exclusive
| dealing of the poor against the strong
at which the bill aimed. If n new
crime were created the measure for
it's suppression should operate impair
italy Cheers The government did not
dare 10 lift finger in defense of the sugges-
tion that it apply TO England provision
such as it was forcing upon Ireland. He
contended that the government was bound
to extend to the occupiers of land in Ire.
land perfect equality with English trades
unions as regards the rights and practices
enjoyed by the latter, among which combi-
nation and exclusive dealing were sanction
| ed. As the bill stood, if an Irishman join
an association it was for Mr.. BslfOur to say
whether or not he became q criminal by the
act In conclusion Mr.. Gladstone eaid that
Ireland, after seventy years of suppression
and wrong, was in q state of misery and
wretchedDess. In the whole British empire,
he said, there was not square yard of land
which England heldby force alone, excepting
in Ireland, where force was employed. Ire
| land was held by mastery, but the govern
ment refused to learn that mastery involved
responsibility. Cries OF Hear" Hear"
They knew that the whole literature Of the
world was against them. Cries of "No."t
| He challenged the government to mention
any authority who had reviewed the rela.
tions between England and Ireland with
out arriving at home rule sou-
ton. Cheers. The tories professed to
| be fighting for the union of the
empire, fight in which the liberals
Joined The liberals held that the charge of
disunion was ridiculous 1t was evident
! that the present state of affairs could not
( hai hot
every day tended TO bring the tories nearer
/ the rejection of the BILL amid cheers from
the liberal and Parnellite benches.
Mr.. Balfour, replying TO Mr. Gladstone,
frs6 referred to the charge that the govern.
ment had brought the bill as an alternative
/ TO Mr.. Gladstone's home rule proposals. If
| that was the care, he said, he felt justified in
saying that it was sufficient to recommend
the measure 10 the acceptance of the House.
The government was mainly justified in in
/ PRODUCING its proposals By the state OF social
1 tyranny which had recently been created in
Ireland, tyranny that attacked the rights
and liberties of minorities and most OF those
elementary principles, without which
country could never be prosperous. He
! contended that crime was worse now in
| Ireland than in 1870, when Mr.. Gladstone
promoted coercion. He tainted Mr.. Glad
stone with having introduced. in 1881, an
arbitrary coerciYe measure which enabled
the Irish chief secretary to imprison
ANYBODY at will. He ridiculed the
/ COMPARISON that had been made be-
tween trades unions and societies
whose object was the dismemberment
of the empire, and which we're sup
ported by foreigners. The trades unions
might we'll be Indignant at comparison of
/ their honest, peaceful efforts with those OF
boycotting and political consprators. Mr..
j I,nd nAc i-,sidinnS and inacs